Now this is a recipe that started a long, long time ago during the pandemic when I was making vegan “scallops” using braised cauliflower stems. I did this by trimming down the stems, braising them in a flavorful umami-packed stock so that they actually tasted like something, and then searing them to look like scallops….
Tag: Cooking
Beef Heart Stroganoff
I heart beef heart. I wanted to make a dish that is somewhat romantic(pasta with a soft, creamy sauce), and figured, why not put some actual heart. on it? Yes, I might have a problem. Beef heart has a slightly chewier, yet crunchier texture compared your usual steak, and I just love that. People are…
New York Strip with Potato Mochi
Meat and potatoes is a classic that I’ve done spins on before on this blog, and I figured, New Year, new take on meat and potatoes? In this case, I wanted to do another steak, but for the potato portion, I wanted to combine experienced from my recent trips to Germany and Japan, paying homage…
Venison with Squash Gnocchi and Blackberry-Sake Jus
Now I already know what you are thinking: that meat is RAW. It’s mooing. So yes, it is very rare, pretty much blue. But when it comes to a lot of game meats, such as venison or elk, cooking any of them past rare either brings out too much gamey flavor, or they turn really…
Spicy Eggplant Pasta
I love eggplant. And I HATE how much the Internet has ruined what an eggplant represents. For me, I try not to associate it with…body parts. Body parts are body parts, vegetables are vegetables. Just clearing that up now, because I feel like anything who reads “spicy eggplant” will have thoughts. Or even just “eggplant”….
Buttered Radish Ribbon Pasta
For Christmas, I purchased a pasta extruder for myself, because certain pasta shapes(i.e. bucatini, penne, and mafaldine) could not be made simply by hand or with ye old pasta crank that I’ve owned since December 2013(crazy to think that was 12 years ago at this point). I first wanted to get a pasta extruder because…
Breakfast Carbonara
This recipe came about because I was making a giant chiffon cake, and had a ton of egg yolks leftover. While I can think of 5-6 desserts off the top of my head that use up said egg yolks, I figured, why not do something savory for a change? I’ve seen people on social media…
Pasta Napolitan
I love love love Japanese/yoshoku stye pasta dishes. They really combine the best of both Western and Eastern cuisines. Pasta Napolitan is an interesting one, because it features spaghetti in a spicy tomato sauce with onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and Vienna sausages. It is hearty, warming, and perfect for what my unofficial theme for January…
Polenta-Fennel-Yuzu Cake
So I was watching Next Gen Chef on Netflix and there was one contestant, Abby, who made a recipe very similar to this one for the first challenge, where the contestants had to work in teams to make a progressive tasting menu inspired by one of three famous CIA alumnus. Abby tackled the dessert making…
Bacon, Liver, and Onion Pasta
A while back, I made a liver and onions picatta dish, and it got me craving more calves liver. Which is hilarious because I love calves liver already. When I made that picatta dish, I went with lighter flavors, using a lot of acid, capers, and caramelized onions for a more dainty feel/contrast. So I…
Pork and Mushroom Chowder
This is the perfect dish to embrace two of my favorite savory ingredients in pork belly and mushrooms. Even before I lived in Boston, I always liked chowder for some reason. The idea of a warm, creamy soup with fun, random ingredients running through it was just reminded me of congee, but super Westernized. That…
Kimchi Chicken Cacciatorre with Kale Polenta
This dish was really meant to be a homey meal, hence why it kind of looks like a giant pile of slop in a bowl. Those kinds of dishes are indicative of the fall/winter, being super cozy, comforting dishes that are ugly-delicious. In this case, I wanted to do chicken cacciatorre, an Italian dish consisting…
Lamb Stew with Yogurt Dumplings
This lamb stew came about because I got a bone-less leg of lamb, and was kind of struggling to figure out what to do with it. You see, if the meat came with the bone, I could make a gorgeous lamb stock, or even a meat pie. And the bone itself would be able to…
Roasted Chicken Thighs with Chorizo Chickpeas
This dish is the perfect thing to eat on a cold, rainy dish. I made these chorizo-stewed chickpeas because I wanted this hearty, comforting stew. What I love from a textural contrast standpoint is that there are smoky chorizo bits and nutty, creamy chickpeas, swimming in a slightly spicy broth. That when paired with a…
Figs, Aerated Kefir, and Poached Egg Salad
So I won’t lie, this was basically a re-hashed plated dish version of the fig-arugula flatbread I made before, but instead of mascarpone-feta, I made an aerated kefir(drinkable yogurt), and replaced the flatbread with brioche soldiers. Oh, and I put a poached egg in there, just to add more richness. What initially inspired this dish…
Pork and Cabbage Potstickers
I will never live down getting sent home in Masterchef: Back to Win over dumplings. I literally teach dumpling classes, so it’s actually traumatic, even if the filling for my potstickers weren’t traditional(and before anyone asks, hell no would I ever go back to Masterchef to try to redeem myself on these, because honestly, they’d…
Fig-Prosciutto Flatbread
Whenever I think of figs in a savory dish, prosciutto and cheese immediately come to mind. I’m not one to shy away from a charcuterie board – honestly, one of my favorite combinations is a punchy cheese, a cold cut, and the fig jam. So in a lot of ways, this flatbread pays homage to…
Breakfast Patty Melt
I’m not sure how truly breakfast-y these patty melts are, but they do contain eggs, bacon, and toast, so that has to count for something, right? I love making shokupan sandwiches(I usually get my shokupan from my local Japanese bakery when I’m not baking a loaf up myself), since the bread is so light, and…
Grilled Romaine with Sesame Dressing
Brown butter-grilled romaine is my favorite savory discovery in 2025. Brown butter adds a toasty, nutty flavor to anything, and when you grill romaine with it, you get this smoky, crispy, crunchy lettuce that is super addictive. While my home’s ventilation system hates me whenever I break out my grill pan for this, brown butter-grilled…
Meat and Potatoes: a plated dish
Whenever I think of meat and potatoes, steak and mashed potatoes come to mind right away. I almost immediately picture this quintessential dish of a giant slab of red meat with a pile of home fries. I wanted to slightly change that up, by doing potatoes two ways, and trim down the portion to be…
Freddy's Harajuku 